1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of diffusing essential oils and oleo-resins of spices in a carrier solution which is applicable notably in the field of pork in its various forms, whether fresh, dried or cooked, for preparing seasoning, flavoring or condiment products for ham, meat-pies, sausages and the like, as well as for vacuum-prepared dishes and beverages.
2. The Prior Art
The important part played by spices for improving the flavor of culinary dishes and notably in the field of pork in its various forms is well known. This method of seasoning food is nowadays a primary requirement which permits of determining the gradations and flavor of a food or dish.
The use of spices goes back a very long time and their dosage and distribution constitute a difficult art.
For many centuries various methods have been proposed for extracting sapid or aromatic principles from spices, condimentary plants, aromatic plants, and also from non-vegetable substances selected in the mineral or animal kingdom.
The maceration process is also known in the art. It consists in causing the substance from which it is desired to extract the active principles to contact a cold solvent during a predetermined time period After dividing the product while stirring the mixture from time to time, a liquid product is obtained. This method is used for extracting a heat-alterable active principle (e.g. liquorice), the solvent consisting simply of water.
The infusion method is also well known: it consists in pouring a boiling liquid, for instance water, on a substance from which it is desired to extract the active principle and allowing the infusion to cool down as such. This method is used with products having delicate tissues such as plant leaves or flowers, which contain volatile principles (e.g. flower or leave infusions or decoctions).
The digestion method is also known which consists in keeping the substance in contact with a solvent, for instance water, at a relatively high temperature but below the boiling point. Thus, a "digested" product is obtained. This method is used for substances of which the active principles would be destroyed if allowed to boil, but which are not extracted in the cold state (e.g. animal extracts).
Decoction is also a familiar method which consists in keeping a substance in contact with a solvent, for instance water, heated to and kept at its boiling point during a predetermined time period. This method is used for treating substance from which it is desired to extract certain active principles, without preserving its volatile principles.
Lixiviation or leaching is another exhaustion method consisting in pouring a solvent (for instance water) on a pulverized substance forming a more or less thick bed from which the active principles are carried away by displacement. This operation is based on the principle that the solvent flowing through a substance forming a bed or layer will become gradually loaded with dissolved substances which are carried away as the flow is maintained, to permit the complete exhaustion of the active principles.
Various searches proved that spices contain many component elements which can be classified in two groups, each group having a specific character. These groups of component elements may be evidenced and individualized by using suitable technical methods.
Firstly, one may distinguish the essential oils imparting its specific perfume to the spice.
The other group of constituents comprises oleo-resins which determine the spice flavor.
The possibility of separating the flavor from the perfume is a capital asset since it permits of modulating separately the two parameters characterizing the spice.
The essential oil can be extracted from the spice by distillation. In contrast thereto, oleo-resins are obtained by pulverizing the spice in a solvent in which it will be kept during the time necessary for dissolving the oleo-resins, and subsequently evaporating the solvent to yield a residue constituting in fact the desired oleo-resins, i.e. the spice flavor or taste.
Among the many solvents suitable for carrying out this distillation, alcohol, heptane, methylene or butane chloride, toluene methanol ketones petroleum ether or other ethers, as well as supercritical solvents may be used.
In the case of pepper, the very strong oleo-resin obtainable therefrom contains 40% of pepper alkaloid piperine.
Of course, the possibility of proportioning separately the taste and fragrancy obtained from spices is rather attractive. However, by reason of their strong concentration, it is necessary to dilute the spices in a suitable solution that can subsequently be utilized directly in recipes.
Firstly, it is known to use alcohol for preparing a carrier solution. The oleo-resins contained in the pulverized spices are dissolved in the alcohol medium which can thus carry the dissolved oleo-resins.
However, this technique is attended by various inconveniences. More particularly, the use of alcohol implies many restrictions from the legal standpoint. Furthermore, when the oleo-resins loaded concentrations are to be diluted in water, the assimilation of alcohol in water and the precipitation of the oleo-resins are observed. Therefore, the final mixture is definitely not homogeneous and causes important changes of taste in the preparation to be seasoned.
On the other hand, not all oleo-resins are soluble or dispersible in alcohol. Therefore, other solvents must be used. Thus, for instance, rosemary oleo-resin can be dispersed in fatty oil but not in alcohol.
In this respect it is worth remembering that in many cases water is used as the dissolving medium for obtaining the desired concentration of seasoned liquid. Consequently, the fact that neither essential oils, nor oleo-resins are soluble in water constitutes a major inconvenience.
One may also use a pulverulent support as a carrier medium for the essential principles of spices. In this respect, salt, sugar or food glutamate in powder form may be used. This solution is attended however by an addition of external flavor likely to impair or alter the spice action or effect.
It may also be observed that in the drysalter industry nitrited salt is used in substantially all cases, thus yielding a salted products having a specific pink color. Dispersing the spice oleo-resins or essential oils on salt to avoid an excessively pronounced salted flavor would make it compulsory to reduce the proportion of nitrited salt to the prejudice of the product color.
Besides, dispersing the spice oleo-resins and essential oils on sugar would compel the user to reduce the sugar proportion employed. Now, sugar is the cheapest "load" in a food salting process.
Finally, dispersing oleo-resins or essential oils on glutamate, a relatively expensive product the use of which is prohibited in all foods made from pork, notably in first-quality ham, would not constitute the solution sought by the users.
Moreover, though water, salt or sugar are well assimilated by human organisms in general, oleo-resins form a precipitate, thus impairing the homogeneity of the solution.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to control the essential principles of spices because it is not possible to control with a sufficient degree of precision the homogeneity of a solution carrying essential oils and oleo-resins at the time of its actual use.
Considering the economical pressure exerted on the food industry, which has improved considerably in the field of pork products, it is nowadays necessary to exert a perfect and reliable control of the specific function devolved to each component element of spices. Under these conditions, it is of primary importance to be able to control not only each one of the various factors conditioning the taste, fragrancy and flavor of a product, but also the technical processes utilized in its manufacture and which must be perfectly mastered from the industrial point of view.